Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
britwooten_gw

Concrete floors on second story?

britwooten
10 years ago

Quick question...

Is it possible to have poured concrete floors in bathrooms on the second floor (technically first floor but will have basement below)? I HATE grout.... I am always trying to scrub it clean with a toothbrush and I refuse to deal with it in the house we will build.

Is this possible and would it be ridiculously expensive? Has anyone done this?

Thanks!

Comments (9)

  • renovator8
    10 years ago

    good luck with your project

    This post was edited by Renovator8 on Sun, Mar 23, 14 at 8:13

  • Circus Peanut
    10 years ago

    I don't understand why the choices are only concrete or grouted tile -- why can't you just build a normal wooden floor with a covering of your choice?

  • virgilcarter
    10 years ago

    A concrete fill on top of wood framing is certainly possible. There will be some issues to overcome:

    --The required depth of concrete, say 2", will require special framing elevations so that the top of fill will be flush with finishes in adjacent rooms (this likely means lowering the wood framing by 2" underneath the fill);
    --Because it's a bathroom, you will need to steel trowel and properly seal the surface of the fill;
    --You will need to choose between integral color and natural concrete;
    --Concrete has a tendency to crack, due to stresses, and due to expansion and contraction of the wooden framing;
    --Concrete in bathrooms does need regular maintenance (think about the concrete toilet floors in gasoline stations, for example)..

    There are many finishes which have less problems than concrete and don't present major maintenance problems, depending on your preferences. But if it's concrete you want, go for it!

    Good luck with your project.

  • worthy
    10 years ago

    As noted above, there are other flooring choices that are less troublesome to install and maintain than concrete and easier to clean than tile grout.

    For instance, consider granite floor tiles, which have extremely small grout lines, or roll type vinyl flooring. Or simply seal the grout lines on typical 1/8" grouted floor tiles.

    Lastly, there is no such thing as a maintenance free home.

    And there's no need to do everything yourself. There are even companies that specialize in cleaning grout.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    In our powder room, we put in gray grout so it looks good with just regular cleaning. They make grout with sealers built in so they stay cleaner. Also, they make good grout sealers now that are very impervious to whatever...look for acrylic resin.

    You can go with very large tiles which will minimize grout lines.

    Or you can go with a sheet vinyl product that will be impervious to water. Not the cheap stuff that's easy to puncture, but the durable, heavily cushioned stuff like flexitec...comes with a 25 year warranty.

    Or you can go with a marmoleum...a linoleum sheet product or they make snap together tiles without grout that are also water resistant.

    If you think dealing with grout is fun, try dealing with irregular cracks in a concrete floor.... as my buddy in the masonry business always says, there are 2 kinds of concrete....concrete that is cracked...and concrete that hasn't cracked yet.

    Here is a link that might be useful: coat of armor grout solutions

  • geoffrey_b
    10 years ago

    Concrete would be doable - a mortar bed ( 1 1/2" for tile is normally used all the time) - so 2" of concrete should be OK. Maybe the floor would need a little more stiffening - like the floor joists at 12" rather than 16". Or a higher rated engineered beam / laminated beam.

  • britwooten
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I have tried to post a follow up 3 different times, and each time it looks as if it works, but never shows up on the thread! Can you all see my replies?

  • geoffrey_b
    10 years ago

    No - none appear.

Sponsored
Kim Johnson Designs, LLC
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars37 Reviews
One of the Top Fairfax County's Interior Designer | Best of Houzz